How to Make an IELTS Writing Introduction?
I have been teaching and correcting some IELTS writing to some students and in this post, I plan to lay out some of the basic requirements in order to improve their introduction. Almost a decade ago, I struggle with doing some IELTS writing as there are so much information on the internet that I was not sure who and what to follow. However, after a couple of research, I found the easiest way to make an IELTS Introduction. btw, this is for Writing Task 2
What is the purpose of Introduction to IELTS?
To make it simple, the purpose of the introduction is to allow the reader to understand the context of your essay without checking the prompt. As the saying goes ” first impressions last”, your ability to write a good introduction will give the examiner either a good or bad impression therefore, it is really crucial to ensure that your introduction is as clear and impressive at the same time.
What are the parts of an Introduction?
I cannot find the exact material I refer to this as it was way back in 2017 but this article has a similar idea. Basically in an academic writing essay, there are three essential parts.
- Hook – To make it simple, this is a statement that will entice the reader to read your work. There are several types of hooks and that is another topic for another time.
- General Statement / Background Statement – Basically, this is the idea of the prompt. When we say prompt – this is the question of the essay.
- Thesis Statement – In the summary or overview of your answer, I can say that this is the trailer or teaser of the movie.
All in all, an Introduction is like a trailer or teaser of a movie, if it’s too much information no one will be enticed to watch the movie if the thesis already provided the ending of the story then no one will read your essay.
What about IELTS?
I have seen both candidates and examiners that could write all of these three on the introduction, however, if you are still struggling with the test and wants to make sure you get the highest score possible, just write the general statement and thesis statement. A hook is for high-level writing candidates and it requires a lot of knowledge in order to pull this one out as it could also reflect on your conclusion. Therefore, it is ideal to be safe in your writing in IELTS so do not try to write a hook if you are not ready or still struggling in writing.
How to make General Statement?
In the IELTS test, the examiner wants to make sure that you manage to convey your general statement by using different vocabulary or synonyms and structures without losing the main idea of the prompt. IELTS Examiners are good at spotting these scripted or memorized introductions. I myself can easily spot these introductions and sometimes can actually refer to the site they are taken from. There are a lot of ways to make a good general statement and here are my rules on how to make a decent general statement.
- It should be at least 25 to 30 words. General Statement should only be a complex structure and not a simple sentence.
- The sentence structure is different from the prompt.
- I personally set myself one to two usage of keywords, more than that then I will lose my mark
How to make Thesis Statement?
A thesis statement is the overview of your answers and provides a glimpse of your essay as a whole. Some of the writing that I notice has this kind of phrase in their thesis statement; In this essay, I will write about both sides and give my opinion. Although this is not wrong as a thesis statement, it is considered weak and should not be used. This forum will provide a more detailed explanation.
What should be in IELTS Introduction?
So based on the things that I have explained, IELTS Introduction should have two things.
- General Statement – the paraphrased version of the prompt –
- Thesis statement – the overview of your idea or opinion.
Ideally, an introduction should be around 45 to 50 words, as it is a fifth of your overall essay (50/250 words), and the bigger your introduction, you should also make your body bigger. so 45 to 50 is okay. Also, work on your structure, avoid using simple sentences here. Complex sentences are ideal, and despite of the capability to write one sentence as a paragraph, I don’t recommend it as it is said about “paragraphing properly” to get a 7 in Coherence and Cohesion.
Check my writing collection here.
Ian Tanpiuco is an ESL and virtual assistant. With a decade of experience, he has become an expert in his field. Dedicated to helping others achieve their goals, Ian works tirelessly in the classroom or as a virtual assistant.
